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Monthly Archives: January 2023

new G-t Towhee, Black & white, and Summer; old Hermit

new G-t Towhee, Black & white, and Summer; old Hermit

By {authorlink} – 11:14 am

Tuesday morning, there’s a new Green-tailed Towhee in residential Lincoln Park; and a new Black-and-white Warbler and a new, returning adult male Summer Tanager at Greenwood Cemetery–both down near/at the west end along the border with Mount Hope Cemetery. A returning Hermit Warbler continues in Serra Mesa. The City Heights/Talmadge Eastern Phoebe continues.
Happy to see that Nathan French went out this morning and got good photos of the Yellow-billed Loon!
–Paul Lehman, San Diego

Yellow-billed Loon reports, true or false

Yellow-billed Loon reports, true or false
By {authorlink} – 6:24 am

Our paparazzi star Yellow-billed Loon has had its share of misidentified photos submitted since it was first discovered over a month ago. The culprit, of course, is misidentified Common Loons, often showing palish bills due to lighting. It seems that during the past week or so that such issues have increased and that there have been almost entirely photos submitted of either misidentified Common Loons or very distant shots of blurry loons that could be Commons rather than the Yellow-billed, but uncertain. There have also been a number of reports with written details that seem somewhat marginal. This may end up being a case, as happens with some other long-staying rarities, that the reports keep coming even after the bird actually departs! I am NOT saying that the loon has departed, just that the situation is already getting a bit muddy, and may get muddier. PLEASE, if  you go see this bird, carefully document its continued presence, either with a clear description or preferably with clear photos. And be aware of the Common Loon ID pitfalls.
–Paul Lehman, San Diego

Lark sparrow in Tierrasanta

Lark sparrow in Tierrasanta
By {authorlink} – 4:34 pm

This afternoon, January 29, I saw a lark sparrow perched on a fence at the athletic field at Kumeyaay Elementary School — another 200 yards closer and it would have been an unexpected yard bird for me.

Dennis Parker
Tierrasanta

Zone-tailed Hawk in RSF/Olivenhain

Zone-tailed Hawk in RSF/Olivenhain
By {authorlink} – 1:29 pm

My obsessive checking of turkey vultures paid off today (1/29) when I scoped a very dark hawk soaring over the ridge south of Escondido Creek that didn’t look *quite* right and got a clear look at a bright, light under-tail band on an otherwise all-dark buteo as it caught a thermal and then flew north from Rancho Santa Fe towards Olivenhain. Last seen at 1:16 PM at approximately 33.0577268, -117.2197272.

Betsy Miller Vixie
Olivenhain

Hoover High Eastern Phoebe is back.

Hoover High Eastern Phoebe is back.
By {authorlink} – 12:26 pm

The Eastern Phoebe in City Heights is back for its third year. Same location near Hoover High School and the corner of Highland and Monroe.

(32.7592677, -117.0992530)

Barbara Wise
San Diego

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in Arroyo Canyon

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in Arroyo Canyon
By {authorlink} – 10:08 am

Found as reported yesterday by Paul, app here:

(32.7399165, -117.1650956)
Viewed from canyon in a tall scraggly pepper tree. 
There are a couple of large eucs that toppled over recently and while I was standing there observing the sapsucker there were loud cracks and I turned around in time to see a large branch crashing down. Beware!!

Michelle  Haglund

“there is still good in this world and it’s worth fighting forSam Gamgee


Continuing Northern Parula

Continuing Northern Parula
By {authorlink} – 8:29 am

It’s been a bit of a while since it’s been reported, but the female type Northern Parula continues Saturday morning in UTC at the end of Executive Drive in the last tipu tree next to the entrance to the Firmenich parking lot. BUT, as happens all too often in tipu trees, the Yellow-rumps mercilessly chase it and everything else. So the bird didn’t remain very long and was forced to feed in the nearby sycamore trees or briefly across the street in other tipus before being chased out of there….

A “Slate-colored” Junco is in the junco flock at North Clairemont Community Park.
Paul Lehman, San Diego 

big numbers of Black-vented Shearwaters Encinitas

big numbers of Black-vented Shearwaters Encinitas
By {authorlink} – 11:19 am

i routinely look out in the ocean from Beacons beach (west end of Leucadia Blvd) and its been pretty dead for awhile . At least the last 3 days theres  theres been big numbers of Black vents from at least the north end of Solana Beach to the south end of Carlsbad. Sometimes easity seen with the naked eye   Today at Beacons Beach at 730 AM from the comfort of my warm car i estimated 10000..
Counting 50 at a time for 15 seconds i got 300 , times 4 1200 a minute times some mintutes  it thought 10k was a good guess.   I was there for 5 to 10 minutes
    The bait balls are likley around   Lots of common dolphin seen south end of carlsbad heading north in a hurry   some snap shots of the streaminng shearwaters  are in my ebird report

steve brad
leucadia/mammoth lakes

https://ebird.org/checklist/S127032708/media